W ater Resources Development, Vol. 13, No. 4, 453± 483, 1997 Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) IÇ . H. OLCAY UÈ NVER President, Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry Southeastern A natolia Project Regional D evelopment Administration, UgÏ ur Mumcu’nun SokagÏ õ 59, G.O .P., 06700, Ankara, Turkey ABSTRACT The recognition of the great water potential of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in south-east Turkey led to plans for their sustainable development for irrigation and hydropower generation and to control ¯ oods and droughts. This integrated socio- economic developmentproject, called the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The water resources development programme includes 22 dams, 19 hydropower plants and the irrigation network for 1.7 million ha of land. The US$32 billion project comprises not only water resources development projects, but also investments in all development-relatedsectors. Pre-project Conditions Area and Population The GAP project area lies in south-eastern Turkey (Figure 1), covering nine Provinces (Adõ yaman, Batman, Diyarbakõ r, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, SË anlõ urfa, SË õ rnak), corresponding to approximately 10% of the country’s total population as well as its surface area. The project area includes watersheds of the lower Euphrates and Tigris rivers and the upper Mesopotamian plains. The total surface area is 75 000 km2, of which 42.2% is cultivated (36% rain-fed), 33.3% pastures, and 20.5% forest and bush. Average gradient over 94% of the total surface area is less than 12%, which is the threshold of cultivability. Salinity and alkalinity problems are minimal, and most of the soil has good drainage conditions. Wind erosion is minimal, but water erosion in places could be moderate to strong. The population of the region in the 1985 census was 4.3 million, of which 49.9% was urban. The average population density was 58 persons per km2, compared with the national average of 65. Annual population growth was about 3.7%, which was above the national average (2.54%). A distinguishing feature of the region’s population was the number of young people. In 1985, 49% of the region’s population was within the 0± 14 age-group and 48% was in the 15± 64 age-group. Those under the age of 30 made up almost two thirds of the population. Fertility rates in 1985 were 4.02 in the region, but only 2.59 in Turkey as a whole. Infant mortality rate in 1985 was 111 per thousand in the region, compared with 109 in Turkey overall. The economically active population (ages 15± 65; 48% of the region’s overall population) indicates a high dependency rate (Table 3). Although the fertility rate is higher in rural areas, the population is increasing in urban centres more rapidly owing to high migration rates. The 0790-0627/97/040 453± 31 $7.00 Ó 1997 Carfax Publishing Ltd 454 IÇ . H. Olcay UÈ nver Figure 1. GAP region map. population share of the region has increased steadily from 7% of the national total in 1945 to 8.5% in 1985. In 1985, 44% of the population of the region lived in 3463 settlement-villages and hamlets, each having a population under 2000; another 31% was concentrated into eight settlements, each having more than 50 000 people. Both inter-regional and intra-regional migration are signi® cant issues in the GAP area. Economy A comparison of gross regional product (GRP) of the region in 1985 with the GDP of Turkey (Table 3) clearly indicates the level of its underdevelopment. In Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) 455 1985, the region accounted for 4% of GNP. Per capital income was only 47% of the national average. Agriculture is by far the dominant production sector, accounting for nearly 40% of GRP. It contributes to over 9% of the agricultural value-added of Turkey. Rain-fed agriculture is predominant. Depending primarily on water availability constraints, crop diversi® cation is limited and productivity is low. The crop pattern was 34% wheat, 18.5% barley, 19.7% lentils, 2.8% cotton, 9.4% multi- seasonal produce and 2.2% sesame. Nearly 70% of the economically active population is engaged in agriculture, but it only generates 44% of the gross regional product. Similarly, the animal stock is large, but productivity is low. Traditional production methods still predominate, but agricultural modernization has started. 456 IÇ . H. Olcay UÈ nver Only 2% of the country’s total value-added from the manufacturing industry was produced in the GAP region during the 1980± 85 period. In 1985, 95% of the manufacturing industry employed less than ® ve workers. The main industries are textiles (32%), metal products (21%), food and beverage (19%), wood products (15%), and chemicals (5%). Industrial employment com- prises 5% of the regional labour force as compared with 16% for Turkey. The growth rate of employment reached its peak in 1985, at 19%, which was 4.7 times higher than the national average. The public sector was more successful in generating value-added during this period. The annual growth rate of industrial value-added was 15.5% during 1980± 85, but it declined later. Industry accounted for nearly 60% of the region’s electricity consumption. Mining is an important activity in the region’s economy. Twenty-two types of ores have been identi® ed as being economically feasible for production. All Turkey’s petroleum and phosphate reserves are in the project region. In 1985, the GAP region contributed 4.4% of the total value-added of the mining sector of Turkey. Social Services National literacy rates increased from 67% to 77% between 1980 and 1985. The literacy level in the region in 1985 was 55%. There was a considerable difference between male and female literacy rates at 71.7% and 39%, respect- ively. Corresponding ® gures for the country were 86% for men and 68% for women. Medical facilities and personnel in the region were inadequate. The number of persons per doctor was 3631, and per nurse 2758, which compared unfavourably with the national ® gures of 1391 and 1630, respectively. The number of persons per hospital bed was 847 compared with 484 for Turkey in 1985. There were 3500 rural settlements without drinking water supply, i.e. 35% of total rural settlements. This ratio increased to 55% if those with inadequate water supply were included. On a population basis, 22% of the rural population in the region did not have access to clean drinking water; 29% of the villages had telephone services, 66.8% were electri® ed and 90% of the rural settlements were linked to the road networks. Urban centres, having better living standards and services, have been attract- ing substantial rural migration. Urban infrastructure has therefore become inadequate. W ater Resources Development Programme The GAP area is rich in water and soil resources. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers represent over 28% of the nation’s water supply by rivers, and the economically irrigable areas in the region make up 20% of those for the whole country. The development of the region was originally conceived as relating to its water resources, which were later combined in a comprehensive water and land resources development package (GAP± RDA, 1997a). For this purpose, 13 groups of projects were planned on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and their tributaries by the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSIÇ ) (Table 1): Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) 457 Table 1. Water and land resources development projects in the GAP Region Capacity Production Irrigation Present Project (MW) (GWh) area (ha) stage I. Karakaya Project: 1 800 7 354 · Karakaya Dam & HEPP 1 800 7 354 OP II. Lower Euphrates Project: 2 450 9 024 706 281 · AtatuÈ rk Dam & HEPP 2 400 8 900 OP · SË anlõ urfa HEPP 50 124 U/C · SË anlõ urfa Irrigation Tunnels (a) SË anlõ urfa Tunnels & Irrigation 150 000 U/C (b) Mardin± Ceylanpõ nar Gravity Irrigation 208 000 M/P (c) Mardin± Ceylanpõ nar Pumped Irrigation 118 000 M/P · Siverek± Hilvan Pumped Irrigation 160 000 Rec · Bozova Pumped Irrigation 70 000 Rec III. Border Euphrates Project: 852 3 168 · Birecik Dam & HEPP 672 2 516 U/C · Karkamõ sË Dam & HEPP 180 652 D/D IV. SurucË ± Baziki Project 146 500 · SurucË ± Baziki Plain Irrigation 146 500 Rec V. Adõ yaman± Kahta Project: 195 509 78 700 · CË amgazi Dam & Irrigation 7 430 U/C · GoÈ mikan Dam & Irrigation 7 762 M/P · KocË ali Dam & HEPP 40 120 21 605 M/P · Sarõ mtasË HEPP 28 87 M/P · FatopasË a HEPP 22 47 M/P · BuÈ yuÈ kcË ay Dam, HEPP & Irrigation 30 84 12 322 M/P · Kahta Dam & HEPP 75 171 M/P · Pumped Irrigation from AtatuÈ rk Reservoir 29 599 M/P VI. Adõ yaman± GoÈ ksu: 7 43 71 600 · CË ataltepe Dam Irrigation F/S · Erkenek HEPP 7 43 F/S VII. Gaziantep Project: 90 000 · HancagÏ iz Dam & Irrigation 7 330 OP · Kayacik Dam & Irrigation 14 740 U/C · Kemlin Dam & Irrigation 1 930 F/C · Pumped Irrigation from Birecik Reservoir 66 000 F/S Individual projects: 60 440 Nusaybin Irrigation 75 000 OP CË agÏ cË agÏ HEPP 14.4 42 OP AkcË akale Groundwater Irrigation 15 000 OP Ceylanpinar 27 000 OP Hacihidir Project 2 080 OP Dumluca Project 1 860 OP SurucË Groundwater Irrigation 7 000 OP VIII Dicle± Kralkizi Project: 204 444 130 150 · Kralkizi Dam & HEPP 94 146 U/C · Dicle Dam & HEPP 110 298 U/C · Dicle Right Bank Gravity Irrigation 54 280 U/C · Dicle Right Bank Pumped Irrigation 75 870 U/C 458 IÇ .